Belarus study center opens in Nanjing University of Science and Technology

GOMEL(BelTA) – The Belarus study center opened at the Nanjing University of Science and Technology in China on 28 May, BelTA learned from the press service of the Francisk Skorina Gomel State University.

The agreement to set up the center was signed by rector of Francisk Skorina Gomel State University Sergei Khakhomov and rector of Nanjing University of Science and Technology Fu Mengyin during the visit of the Belarusian delegation to China. “Friendly partner relations between Belarus and China have been dynamically developing and have great prospects. The opening of the center has become another step to become closer to each other. The joint project is aimed at uniting the cultural and humanitarian potential, expanding cooperation in science and education,” Sergei Khakhomov said.

The center hosted its first events: a photo exhibition about the resistance to the Nazis in occupied Belarus during the Great Patriotic War, and a photo project “Belarus Through My Eyes”. As part of the project, Belarusian and Chinese photo journalists showed the country's beauty, its rich natural and cultural heritage, festival celebrations and emotions of its people.

The center will promote cooperation between the Belarusian and Chinese universities in a number of areas. “This will include joint international research projects in a wide range of linguistic problems, scientific seminars, conferences, exhibitions, colloquiums, and other events, and also the exchange of the academic staff, internships for students and post-graduates,” the press service said. The parties plan to publish textbooks and materials for linguistic and literature subjects.

The new center will also develop education tourism and organize education programs on summer and winter holidays for the academic staff, students and post-graduates from Belarus and China. The center will also help in the participation in different contests and festivals held in the two countries, the organization of Days of Culture, Cinematography, promotion of cooperation in museum affairs.

The opening of the center is a result of many-year cooperation between the Francisk Skorina Gomel State University and the Nanjing University of Science and Technology. The two universities started with the development of relations in research and gradually expanded their cooperation to cover education and culture. Belarus-China scientific laboratories on vacuum plasma technology have been operating at the two universities for more than seven years. Every year high-technology developments of Gomel scientists are delivered to Nanjing. In 2017 the Confucius Institute was opened in the Francisk Skorina Gomel State University. Joint postgraduate studies for specialists in physics and chemistry were launched in 2018. Apart from that, the opening of the center is a part of the program to develop cooperation in education between Belarus and China through 2020.